India's Minister of State for Commerce, Nirmala Sithraman, will be visiting Sri Lanka at the end of August on an invitation extended by Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama.

The New Indian Express reported that the officials have however, clarified that the visit would have nothing to do with the on-going negotiations between India and Sri Lanka on an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement.

An Indian delegation led by the Joint Secretary of India's Commerce Ministry Bhupinde Singh Bhalla held the first ever official level meeting on ETCA in Colombo last week.

No press statement was issued after the preliminary and exploratory meeting.